Approaching Alpha: Snippets, Ideas, and Partially-formed Posts

In no particular order, three posts that never quite made it...

1. My tweethis is this: you have to react to and make the information your own in order to store it long-term.

This is why I can find myself whistling music I played in High School as I walk on campus without thinking about it, and it is the same reason that I would struggle to explain integration rules to you if you asked. I’ve spent time studying music scores, listening to others perform the same piece, rehearsing the piece, getting feedback, collaborating with fellow musicians, and performing. I’ve worked relatively few integration problems, and memorized the formulas for an exam, only to be forgotten hours later.

2. On course management systems

Personally, I don't mind if professors make their own site outside of blackboard/learning suite; this often enables them to tailor the presentation of information and functions of the site to the course in a much more meaningful way. I detest having to log in to a separate "course management" utility to turn in assignments for different classes, however.

 I am enrolled in a course this semester that is testing the new Learning Suite utility. Given the way that Learning Suite is utilized in this course, I don't see much difference in terms of usability compared to blackboard for the student. Perhaps it is more user-friendly for the administrators, I'm not sure. 

My experience with blackboard has been that its reliability for a particular class is directly related to the effort and understanding of the administrator (be it professor or TA). An example is Accounting 200. The course has close to 1000 students who regularly take timed quizzes and submit papers through blackboard. Weighted averages are calculated periodically, and graded assignments are easily viewable. 

Several years' experience with blackboard have no doubt led to this reliability. Lastly, I am leery of a system that will purport to combine course management with class interaction and social media. I think it would be more effective for instructors wishing to incorporate social media aspects to learn about social media in the real world, (i.e. google+, twitter) and incorporate those into their teaching as opposed to forcing students to learn and partcipate in a sand box environment that may not have any lasting value to their digital literacy.

3. My experiences in music as a case study for holistic education (see this other post for the rest).

Iterative Learning

This year marks my tenth year of formal musical education. I used define “formal” as a period of regular instruction by someone other than myself and including opportunities to play with others. I would describe the overall pedagogical approach as iterative. But I have come to understand that

I have revisited theory concepts first learned on the piano in fifth grade in several different settings since, each time understanding a little more deeply.

 Certification and qualification

While standardized certifications exist in music, often reputation and recommendation by others in the field is far more important. A player’s genealogy (a list of formative teachers with whom they have studied) and ensemble appointments are the most important parts of his or her profile.

Different instruments and styles of music give preference to different types of preparation. An aspiring brass jazz player and a choral piano accompanist, though both musicians, would seek fairly different learning experiences in their preparation.

One is “certified” most meaningfully by what they have actually contributed to the community in performance and teaching.

 “Enrichment”

Students of music or more likely to be grouped with others of similar ability and motivation. The culture of music education and performance in my experience favors a “natural selection” of sorts. Players in ensembles are most often selected on the basis of audition-a demonstration of actual skill and preparation. The strongest performers tend to find themselves in the same ensembles, rehearsing and performing at higher levels. In addition, other, extra performance opportunities are first offered to those in these stronger ensembles.

Examples:

Quartets – playing in small ensembles teaches many concepts. Because there is most often one player per part, one cannot rely on his/her section to cover mistakes. An ensemble must be aware of every other member and make efforts to adjust and adapt to each other. This skill is more effectively developed in small ensemble work, because it is easier to see, hear, and collaborate.

A quartet is usually led by one or more of its members, not a conductor.

Performance in a quartet is different than other performances. Often, it is background music for an event: a funeral, gallery art showing, or wedding but may also be the main event. The musicians must adapt accordingly in volume, sound, style, and choice of music.

With more variables, comes more opportunity for adventure. A small group forfeits some of the stability aspects of a large group (a full symphony for example). You must bring your own stand, chase your own music, change notes, strings, and deal with people.

It is an opportunity to apply what has been learned in other settings.

Church

Performance

Jamming

Accompanying

I have participated in the musical education of others.

The opportunity to teach music has caused me to reflect on my own learning experiences as I search for ways to more clearly explain, demonstrate, and apply concepts to my students. In addition, this reflection feeds a desire to improve on the way I was taught. I remember things that I hated about my learning experience and either try to avoid them, or recognize their value and change my opinion.

Availability/Accessibility

The issue of accessibility looms large. For all the advantages and positives gained during my music education, This type of experience is not available to everyone.

Price, concentration of good teachers in the area

Time/effort to find the teacher

Aptitude/interest

Those who take lessons one on one get into the top groups, and thus have the most extra opportunities, and thus have the most holistic experience.

Those who learn the basics well are selected into groups of similar ability, and from there springboard to more opportunities and more complete learning.

The public school system

May be well-developed or not. Experience dependent on conductor, and fellow students.

You explore because you are bored.

Conclusion

I used to believe that eventually I would be “good enough” to play some certain event without practicing. I eventually realized, however, that I could never be done learning music, that I would never know all there is to know or master every technique perfectly. I believe this realization came faster for me in the realm of music because of the holistic style of my music education. While I am highly persuaded of the effectiveness of this holistic style of learning, I recognize that it is not available to many people, whether by choice or circumstance.